Animation World News

Compiled and written by Rick DeMott
Technology news by Paul Younghusband
Tampere news written by AWN’s Scandinavian correspondent Heikki Jokinen

All of the news in this section of Animation World Magazine is published first in the Animation Flash, AWN's weekly e-mail newsletter. Read it first in the Flash! Subscribe today.

Business: German EM.TV Acquires The Muppets, Vivid Animation Stops Production, Shareholders File Lawsuit Against CINAR, EA Acquires DreamWorks Interactive, Disney's Go A Sleeping Giant, DEN Plays With $24M In Financing, 3Dlabs Grows German Office, Mickey Fears AOL/Warner Mega-Merger, Cartoon Net Lands Looney Toons Plus 4 New Shows, CINAR’s Stock Stops Trading, CINAR Strikes Back.

People: IFILM Increases The Executive Fold, CINAR Co-Founders Exit With $122M Missing, Musical Chairs: MTV's Eric Calderon And Expedia's Richard Barton Join AtomFilms, Ivan Molomut Joins Black Logic As Head Of Sales, Acclaim Promotes Nigel Cook To VP, Studio Head, World Animation Celebration Director Leaves, DEN Appoints Morris Sim As Head Of Digital Programming, MixMe Networks, Inc. Hires Russell T. Gillam As CEO, Brian Miller Named VP And General Manager Of The New Cartoon Network Studios, Jeffrey Kramer Named The New President Of Honkworm International’s Cross Media Division, Renowned Director Paul Vester Has Become The Creative Director, Digital And Mixed Media For Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials, Steve Ziolkowski Has Signed On As Director Of Animation At Supertoons, Nickelodeon Has Named Michele Moore As The New VP Of Communications.

In Passing: Van Goethem Unexpectedly Passes.

Films: AWN Animated Box Office Report, Toy Story 2: The Buzz In The UK, Toy Story 2 Scores Mucho Yen In Japan, India Reincarnates Dead Stars, Klasky Csupo & Nick Knot Film Ties, Cinema Clips: Live-Action Tomb Raider Lead, Daredevil And Spider-Man Directors, Stuart Little II Writer, Bardel Animation Steers Silverwing, Planet Of The Apes' Gothic Director, Wallace And Gromit Feature, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Steven Spielberg Lines Up Next 2 Films.

Television: Toy Story's Buzz On TV, Snoopy Cursing Like The South Park Kids?, Salt Lake No Promised Land For God The Devil & Bob, Heavenly Ratings, Devilish Reviews For God, Creator Smith Steaming Over Clerks’ Future, New Nursey Net Hops Into Homes In Israel, TV Tidbits: Dora The Explorer, Invader Zim, As Told By Ginger, Fat Dog Mendoza, Action Man, Strangers With Candy "Tooned" Opening, Avenue Amy, Hormone High Voice Cast, Max Steel, I Am Weasel Marathon.

Commercials: Seeing Spots: Celluloid Studios And Visitor Help Christen Anheuser-Busch’s New Bubble Boy Hockey League Campaign, SimEx And Duck Soup’s Keebler Bake-Off, Helium Inflates The New Relenza Ads, Filmtecknarna F. Animation Finishes Eleven Spots For Oxygen Media’s "Mom's On-Line."

Home Video: ADV Adds Right Stuf To Its Library, Main Street Dates: Sakura Diaries Volume 1, Master Of Mosquiton, The Vampire Volume 3, Bubblegum Crisis Volume 4 -- Rampage, Those Who Hunt Elves Chapter 6: Final Trials, William’s Wish Wellingtons, Scooby-Doo Meets The Boo Brothers, Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries, The Flintstones Stone-Age Adventures, Tom & Jerry's Greatest Chases.

Internet & Interactive: A New Cubicle For Dilbert On The Net, eBay To Auction Mickey's Merchandise, PlayStation 2 Jumps Off Shelves In Japan, Microsoft Gets Into Gaming Ring, PlayStation 2 Glitch Gouges Stock, The Simpsons’ Gracie Films Rides Shockwave, Massive Multi-Player Star Wars Goes On-Line, Cyber Bytes: The God & Devil Show; God The Devil And Bob Website; ASIFA Italia Website, Stan Lee Premiere, The Indescribable Nth On Atomfilms, Former Warner Bros. Chairman And Ceo Robert A. Daly Invests Millions Into Shockwave.Com, Manga Entertainment Launches X Web Site, Shockwave And Joecartoon.Com, Elmo Aardvark, Outer Space Detective!

Licensing: Rugrats: Burger King's Thanksgiving Whopper, Star Wars Sinks British Publisher, Wolfmill’s Elfquest With Living Toyz, Casper & Felix The Cat Land In Latin America.

Technology: Alias|Wavefront Announces Maya 3, REALVIZ Announces ImageModeler, SOFTIMAGE Releases SOFTIMAGE|3D 3.9, Alias|Wavefront Releases Maya Real Time SDK, Alias|Wavefront Ships Maya Fusion 2, NewTek Ships Lightwave [6] For NT, SOFTIMAGE Gives Birth To XSI.

Education: CGI Degree At The Art Institute Of L.A.,

Call For Entries: UNICEF's Cartoons For Children's Rights.

Awards: Toons That Grabbed Grammies, Brussels Bzzes With Winners, Robbie Reigns At British Animation Awards, BAFTA Brings Out The Nominees, Tampere’s Tooned In Festival, Daytime Emmy Nominees Announced.

Events: Ongoing Events: Folimage Screening, Upcoming Events: The Third Brisbane International Animation Festival, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Cruise, Taos Talking Picture Festival, The 4th Cartoons On The Bay International Festival Of Television Animation, Richard Williams’ Animation Masterclass, The 2nd Annual New York Lower East Side Film Festival, ASIFA-Central’s Eighth Annual Animators Conference And Retreat.

Last Month In Animation: Monte-Carlo Television Market, Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, Cartoon Noir In L.A., WIA Annual Meeting, Brussels Cartoon And Animated Film Festival, J. Stuart Blackton Screening, WIA Production Management Group Meeting, An Evening With Stuart Little, ASIFA-Hollywood’s 7th Annual Animation Expo, "Art Of Directing 3D Computer Animation," Tampere International Short Film Festival, Cartoon Seminar, WIA Writers' Group Seminar, The 3rd Annual British Animation Awards, Santa Clarita International Film Festival, Acting For Animators Workshop, The 10th International Trickfilm Festival, The Making Of The Road To El Dorado.